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December 8
December 8 is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 23 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Sunday or Monday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Wednesday or Friday (56). Contents 1 Events 2 Births 3 Deaths 4 Holidays and observances 5 External links Events 395 – Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope. 757 – Du Fu returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuanzong's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion. 877 – Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne. 1432 – The first battle between the forces of Švitrigaila and Sigismund Kęstutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the Lithuanian Civil War. 1596 – Luis de Carvajal y de la Cueva, one of the first Jewish authors in the Americas, died in an auto-da-fé during the Spanish Inquisition in Mexico City. 1660 – A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello. 1813 – Premiere of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. 1854 – In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived free of Original Sin. 1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne. 1912 – Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out. 1914 – World War I: A squadron of Britain's Royal Navy defeats the Imperial German East Asia Squadron in the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. 1922 – Northern Ireland ceases to be part of the Irish Free State. 1927 – The Brookings Institution, one of the United States' oldest think tanks, is founded through the merger of three organizations that had been created by philanthropist Robert S. Brookings. 1941 – World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "a date which will live in infamy", after which the U.S. declares war on Japan. 1941 – World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. (See December 7 for the concurrent attack on Pearl Harbor in the Western Hemisphere.) 1949 – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is established to provide aid to Palestinian refugees who left their homes during the 1948 Palestinian exodus. 1953 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his "Atoms for Peace" speech, which leads to an American program to supply equipment and information on nuclear power to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world. 1955 – The Flag of Europe is adopted by Council of Europe. 1962 – Workers at four New York City newspapers (this later increases to nine) go on strike for 114 days. 1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, killing all 81 people on board. 1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200. 1969 – An Olympic Airways Douglas DC-6 strikes a mountain outside of Keratea, Greece, killing 90—the worst crash of a DC-6. 1971 – Indo-Pakistani War: The Indian Navy launches an attack on West Pakistan's port city of Karachi. 1972 – United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737, crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45. The crash is the first-ever loss of a Boeing 737. 1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece. 1980 – John Lennon is murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of The Dakota in New York City. 1982 – In Suriname, several opponents of the military government are killed. 1987 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed. 1987 – Frank Vitkovic shoots and kills eight people at the Australia Post building in Melbourne, before jumping to his death. 1987 – The Alianza Lima air disaster occurs. 1987 – An Israeli army tank transporter kills four Palestinian refugees and injures seven others during a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing on the Israel–Gaza Strip border, sparking the First Intifada. 1988 – A United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into an apartment complex in Remscheid, Germany, killing 5 people and injuring 50 others. 1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States. 1991 – The Romanian Constitution is adopted in a referendum. 1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria. 2004 – The Cusco Declaration is signed in Cusco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations. 2007 – Three unidentified gunmen storm an office of Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party in Balochistan. Three PPP supporters are killed. 2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq, kill 127 and injure 448. 2010 – With the second launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the first launch of the SpaceX Dragon, SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit and recover a spacecraft. 2010 – The Japanese solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS passes the planet Venus at a distance of about 80,800 km. 2013 – Riots break out in Singapore after a fatal accident in Little India. Births 65 BC – Horace, Roman soldier and poet (d. 8 BC) 1021 – Wang Anshi, Chinese economist and chancellor (d. 1086) 1412 – Astorre II Manfredi, Italian lord (d. 1468) 1542 – Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587) 1574 – Maria Anna of Bavaria (d. 1616) 1678 – Horatio Walpole, 1st Baron Walpole, English politician and diplomat, British Ambassador to France (d. 1757) 1699 – Maria Josepha of Austria (d. 1757) 1708 – Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1765) 1724 – Claude Balbastre, French organist and composer (d. 1799) 1730 – Jan Ingenhousz, Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist (d. 1799) 1731 – František Xaver Dušek, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1799) 1756 – Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria (d. 1801) 1765 – Eli Whitney, American engineer, invented the cotton gin (d. 1825) 1795 – Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1874) 1815 – Adolph Menzel, German painter and illustrator (d. 1905) 1816 – August Belmont, Prussian-American financier and diplomat, 16th United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (d. 1890) 1817 – Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1896) 1818 – Charles III, Prince of Monaco (d. 1889) 1822 – Jakov Ignjatović, Hungarian-Serbian author (d. 1889) 1832 – Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian-French author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1910) 1860 – Amanda McKittrick Ros, Irish author and poet (d. 1939) 1861 – William C. Durant, American businessman, founded General Motors and Chevrolet (d. 1947) 1861 – Aristide Maillol, French sculptor and painter (d. 1944) 1861 – Georges Méliès, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1938) 1862 – Georges Feydeau, French playwright (d. 1921) 1864 – Camille Claudel, French illustrator and sculptor (d. 1943) 1865 – Rüdiger von der Goltz, German general (d. 1946) 1865 – Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician and academic (d. 1963) 1865 – Jean Sibelius, Finnish violinist and composer (d. 1957) 1874 – Ernst Moro, Austrian physician and pediatrician (d. 1951) 1875 – Frederik Buch, Danish actor and screenwriter (d. 1925) 1877 – Paul Ladmirault, French pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 1944) 1880 – Johannes Aavik, Estonian linguist and philologist (d. 1973) 1884 – Francis Cecil Campbell Balfour, English colonel and politician (d. 1965) 1886 – Diego Rivera, Mexican painter and educator (d. 1957) 1886 – Albert Üksip, Estonian actor and botanist (d. 1966) 1890 – Bohuslav Martinů, Czech-American pianist and composer (d. 1959) 1892 – Marcus Lee Hansen, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1938) 1894 – E. C. Segar, American cartoonist, created Popeye (d. 1938) 1894 – James Thurber, American author and illustrator (d. 1961) 1894 – Marthe Vinot, French actress (d. 1974) 1899 – Arthur Leslie, English-Welsh actor and playwright (d. 1970) 1899 – John Qualen, Canadian-American actor and singer (d. 1987) 1900 – Sun Li-jen, Chinese general and politician (d. 1990) 1900 – Ants Oras, Estonian-American author and academic (d. 1982) 1902 – Wifredo Lam, Cuban-French painter (d. 1982) 1908 – Concha Piquer, Spanish singer and actress (d. 1990) 1908 – John A. Volpe, American soldier and politician, 61st Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1994) 1909 – Lesslie Newbigin, English bishop and theologian (d. 1998) 1909 – Gratien Gélinas, Canadian actor, director, and producer (d. 1999) 1911 – Lee J. Cobb, American actor (d. 1976) 1911 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (d. 1992) 1913 – Delmore Schwartz, American poet and author (d. 1966) 1915 – Ernest Lehman, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2005) 1916 – Richard Fleischer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006) 1918 – Gérard Souzay, French actor and singer (d. 2004) 1919 – Peter Tali Coleman, Samoan-American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of American Samoa (d. 1997) 1919 – Julia Robinson, American mathematician and theorist (d. 1985) 1919 – Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (d. 2001) 1920 – McDonald Bailey, Trinidadian-English sprinter and rugby player (d. 2013) 1922 – Lucian Freud, German-English painter and illustrator (d. 2011) 1922 – Jean Ritchie, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015) 1923 – Rudolph Pariser, Chinese-American soldier and chemist 1924 – Lionel Gilbert, Australian historian, author, and academic (d. 2015) 1925 – Sammy Davis, Jr., American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1990) 1925 – Carmen Martín Gaite, Spanish author and poet (d. 2000) 1925 – Jimmy Smith, American organist (d. 2005) 1927 – Ferdie Pacheco, American physician and author 1927 – Vladimir Shatalov, Kazakhstani general, pilot, and astronaut 1928 – Bill Hewitt, Canadian journalist and sportscaster (d. 1996) 1928 – Ulric Neisser, German-American psychologist, neuroscientist, and academic (d. 2012) 1929 – Paddy O'Byrne, Irish radio host and actor (d. 2013) 1930 – Julian Critchley, English journalist and politician (d. 2000) 1930 – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2014) 1931 – Bob Arum, American boxing promoter, founded Top Rank 1933 – Flip Wilson, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1998) 1935 – Dharmendra, Indian actor, producer, and politician 1935 – Tatiana Zatulovskaya, Russian-Israeli chess player 1936 – David Carradine, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2009) 1936 – Michael Hobson, American publisher 1937 – James MacArthur, American actor (d. 2010) 1937 – Arne Næss, Jr., German-Norwegian mountaineer and businessman (d. 2004) 1939 – Red Berenson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach 1939 – Jerry Butler, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Impressions) 1939 – James Galway, Irish flute player 1939 – Dariush Mehrjui, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter 1939 – Soko Richardson, American drummer (Kings of Rhythm and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers) (d. 2004) 1940 – Brant Alyea, American baseball player 1941 – Ed Brinkman, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008) 1941 – Bob Brown, American football player 1941 – Duke Cunningham, American commander and politician 1941 – Bobby Elliott, English drummer (The Hollies) 1941 – Geoff Hurst, English footballer and manager 1943 – Larry Martin, American paleontologist and ornithologist (d. 2013) 1943 – Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter and poet (The Doors and Rick & the Ravens) (d. 1971) 1943 – James Tate, American poet and academic (d. 2015) 1943 – Bodo Tümmler, German runner 1943 – Mary Woronov, American actress, director, and screenwriter 1944 – George Baker, Dutch singer-songwriter 1944 – Bertie Higgins, American singer-songwriter 1944 – Ted Irvine, Canadian ice hockey player 1944 – Vince MacLean, Canadian educator and politician 1945 – John Banville, Irish journalist and author 1946 – John Rubinstein, American actor, director, and composer 1946 – Sharmila Tagore, Indian model and actress 1947 – Chava Alberstein, Polish-Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist 1947 – Gregg Allman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Allman Brothers Band and Hour Glass) 1947 – Gérard Blanc, French singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 2009) 1947 – Thomas Cech, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate 1947 – Kati-Claudia Fofonoff, Finnish author and poet 1947 – Margaret Geller, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic 1947 – Bruce Kimmel, American actor, director, and producer 1948 – Luis Caffarelli, Argentinian-American mathematician and academic 1949 – Mary Gordon, American author, critic, and academic 1949 – Nancy Meyers, American director, producer, and screenwriter 1949 – Ray Shulman, English violinist, guitarist, and producer (Simon Dupree and the Big Sound and Gentle Giant) 1949 – Robert Sternberg, American psychologist and academic 1950 – Rick Baker, American actor and makeup artist 1950 – Tim Foli, American baseball player, coach, and manager 1950 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter and producer (Edgar Winter Group) (d. 1994) 1951 – Bill Bryson, American author and academic 1951 – Richard Desmond, English publisher and businessman, founded Northern & Shell 1951 – Jan Eggum, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Gitarkameratene) 1952 – Khaw Boon Wan, Malayan-Singaporean politician, Singaporean Minister of Health 1952 – Steve Atkinson, English-Hong Kong cricketer 1953 – Kim Basinger, American actress 1953 – Roy Firestone, American sportscaster and journalist 1953 – Norman Finkelstein, American author, academic, and activist 1953 – Sam Kinison, American comedian and actor (d. 1992) 1953 – Władysław Kozakiewicz, Lithuanian-Polish pole vaulter and coach 1953 – Steve Yates, English footballer 1954 – Harold Hongju Koh, American lawyer, academic, and politician 1954 – Frits Pirard, Dutch cyclist 1955 – Kasim Sulton, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (Blue Öyster Cult, Utopia, and The New Cars) 1955 – Milenko Zablaćanski, Serbian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2008) 1956 – Warren Cuccurullo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Duran Duran, Missing Persons, TV Mania, and Chicanery) 1956 – Andrew Edge, English drummer and songwriter (Thompson Twins, Uropa Lula, and Savage Progress) 1956 – Andrius Kubilius, Lithuanian academic and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Lithuania 1957 – Slick, American wrestler and manager 1957 – James Cama, American martial artist and educator (d. 2014) 1957 – Phil Collen, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Def Leppard, Girl, Man Raze, Tush, and Dumb Blondes) 1958 – Rob Byrnes, American author and blogger 1958 – Rob Curling, Malayan-English journalist 1958 – Michel Ferté, French race car driver 1958 – Bob Greene, American physiologist and author 1958 – Thongchai McIntyre, Thai singer and actor 1958 – Mirosław Okoński, Polish footballer 1959 – Stephen Jefferies, South African cricketer and coach 1959 – Mark Steyn, Canadian-American author and critic 1960 – Aaron Allston, American game designer and author (d. 2014) 1960 – Lim Guan Eng, Malaysian accountant and politician, 4th Chief Minister of the State of Penang 1961 – Ann Coulter, American lawyer, journalist, and author 1961 – Mikey Robins, Australian comedian and television host 1962 – Steve Elkington, Australian-American golfer 1962 – Marty Friedman, American-Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and television host (Megadeth, Cacophony, and Hawaii) 1962 – Nikos Karageorgiou, Greek footballer and manager 1962 – Wendell Pierce, American actor and producer 1962 – Berry van Aerle, Dutch footballer 1963 – Greg Howe, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer 1963 – Toshiaki Kawada, Japanese wrestler 1964 – James Blundell, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist 1964 – Teri Hatcher, American cheerleader and actress 1964 – Chigusa Nagayo, Japanese wrestler 1964 – Mike Ruiz, Canadian-American model, actor, and photographer 1965 – David Harewood, English actor 1965 – Theo Maassen, Dutch actor, producer, and screenwriter 1966 – Les Ferdinand, English footballer and coach 1966 – Tyler Mane, Canadian wrestler and actor 1966 – Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer-songwriter 1967 – Jeff George, American football player 1967 – Andy Kapp, German curler 1967 – Kotono Mitsuishi, Japanese voice actress and singer 1967 – Darren Sheridan, English footballer and manager 1967 – Junkie XL, Dutch keyboard player and producer 1968 – Michael Cole, American journalist and sportscaster 1968 – Mike Mussina, American baseball player and coach 1968 – Doriano Romboni, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2013) 1971 – Abdullah Ercan, Turkish footballer and manager 1972 – Marco Abreu, Angolan footballer 1972 – Indrek Allmann, Estonian architect 1972 – Édson Ribeiro, Brazilian sprinter 1972 – Frank Shamrock, American mixed martial artist and kick-boxer 1973 – Doron Bell, Canadian actor and singer 1973 – Corey Taylor, American singer-songwriter (Slipknot, Stone Sour, and Junk Beer Kidnap Band) 1974 – Cristian Castro, Mexican singer 1974 – Tony Simmons, American football player and coach 1974 – Nick Zinner, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Head Wound City) 1975 – Kevin Harvick, American race car driver 1976 – Brettina, Bahamian-American singer-songwriter and actress 1976 – Reed Johnson, American baseball player 1976 – Dominic Monaghan, German-English actor and producer 1977 – Elsa Benítez, Mexican model and television host 1977 – Sébastien Chabal, French rugby player 1977 – Priit Narusk, Estonian skier 1977 – Ryan Newman, American race car driver 1977 – Aleksandra Olsza, Polish tennis player 1977 – Anita Weyermann, Swiss runner and journalist 1978 – John Oster, English-Welsh footballer 1978 – Frédéric Piquionne, French footballer 1978 – Anwar Siraj, Ethiopian footballer 1978 – Ian Somerhalder, American actor 1978 – Vernon Wells, American baseball player 1979 – Daniel Fitzhenry, Australian rugby player 1979 – Johan Forssell, Swedish lawyer and politician 1979 – Raymond Lam, Chinese actor and singer 1979 – Ingrid Michaelson, American singer-songwriter and pianist 1979 – José Peña, Venezuelan sprinter 1979 – Christian Wilhelmsson, Swedish footballer 1980 – Lisa Kelly, American truck driver 1980 – Yuliya Krevsun, Ukrainian runner 1981 – Jeremy Accardo, American baseball player 1981 – Azra Akın, Dutch-Turkish model and actress, Miss World 2002 1981 – Simon Finnigan, English rugby player 1981 – Philip Rivers, American football player 1982 – Alfredo Aceves, American baseball player 1982 – Halil Altıntop, Turkish footballer 1982 – Hamit Altıntop, Turkish footballer 1982 – Chrisette Michele, American singer-songwriter 1982 – Noelle Pikus-Pace, American skeleton racer 1982 – Jimmy Rave, American wrestler 1982 – DeeDee Trotter, American runner 1983 – Neel Jani, Swiss race car driver 1983 – Valéry Mézague, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2014) 1983 – Liu Song, Chinese snooker player 1984 – Emma Green Tregaro, Swedish high jumper 1984 – Greg Halford, English footballer 1984 – Sam Hunt, American singer-songwriter 1985 – Josh Donaldson, American baseball player 1985 – Meagan Duhamel, Canadian figure skater 1985 – Dwight Howard, American basketball player 1985 – Oleksiy Pecherov, Ukrainian basketball player 1986 – Enzo Amore, American wrestler 1986 – Amir Khan, English boxer 1986 – Kate Voegele, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress 1987 – Jana Juricová, Slovak tennis player 1989 – Drew Doughty, Canadian ice hockey player 1989 – Alonso Edward, Panamanian sprinter 1989 – Jen Ledger, English singer and drummer (Skillet) 1992 – Katie Stevens, American actress and singer 1992 – Yui Yokoyama, Japanese singer and actress (AKB48, NMB48, and Not Yet) 1993 – Janari Jõesaar, Estonian basketball player 1993 – Jordan Obita, English footballer 1993 – AnnaSophia Robb, American actress and singer 1994 – Conseslus Kipruto, Kenyan runner 1994 – Aika Ota, Japanese singer (HKT48, AKB48, and Watariroka Hashiritai) 1994 – Raheem Sterling, English footballer 1994 – Suzuran Yamauchi, Japanese singer and actress (SKE48 and AKB48) 1995 – Jordon Ibe, English footballer 1996 – Teala Dunn, American actress Deaths Arnulf of Carinthia (b. 850) 1626 – John Davies, English poet, lawyer, and politician (b. 1569) 1632 – Philippe van Lansberge, Dutch astronomer and mathematician (b. 1561) 1638 – Ivan Gundulić, Croatian poet (b. 1589) 1643 – John Pym, English politician (b. 1583) 1649 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (b. 1613) 1680 – Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, English lawyer and politician (b. 1606) 1691 – Richard Baxter, English minister, poet, and hymn-writer (b. 1615) 1695 – Barthélemy d'Herbelot, French orientalist and academic (b. 1625) 1709 – Thomas Corneille, French playwright and philologist (b. 1625) 1722 – Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (b. 1652) 1744 – Marie Anne de Mailly, French mistress of Louis XV of France (b. 1717) 1745 – Étienne Fourmont, French orientalist and academic (b. 1683) 1746 – Charles Radclyffe, English courtier and soldier (b. 1693) 1756 – William Stanhope, 1st Earl of Harrington, English politician and diplomat, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690) 1768 – Jean Denis Attiret, French painter and missionary (b. 1702) 1779 – Nathan Alcock, English physician (b. 1707) 1793 – Madame du Barry, French mistress of Louis XV of France (b. 1743) 1811 – Eliza Poe, English-American actress (b. 1787) 1830 – Benjamin Constant, Swiss-French philosopher and author (b. 1767) 1859 – Thomas De Quincey, English journalist and author (b. 1785) 1864 – George Boole, English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1815) 1869 – Narcisa de Jesús, Ecuadorian saint (b. 1832) 1885 – William Henry Vanderbilt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1821) 1894 – Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1821) 1903 – Herbert Spencer, English biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and philosopher (b. 1820) 1907 – Oscar II of Sweden (b. 1829) 1913 – Camille Jenatzy, Belgian race car driver (b. 1868) 1914 – Melchior Anderegg, Swiss mountain guide (b. 1828) 1914 – Maximilian von Spee, Danish-German admiral (b. 1861) 1917 – Mendele Mocher Sforim, Russian author (b. 1836) 1918 – Josip Štadler, Croatian archbishop (b. 1843) 1919 – J. Alden Weir, American painter (b. 1852) 1936 – Simplicio Godina, Filipino conjoined twin (b. 1908) 1937 – Hans Molisch, Czech-Austrian botanist and academic (b. 1856) 1938 – Friedrich Glauser, Swiss soldier and author (b. 1896) 1940 – George Lloyd, English-Canadian bishop and theologian (b. 1861) 1952 – Charles Lightoller, English sailor (b. 1874) 1954 – Gladys George, American actress and singer (b. 1904) 1954 – Joseph B. Keenan, American lawyer and politician (b. 1888) 1958 – Tris Speaker, American baseball player and manager (b. 1888) 1963 – Sarit Thanarat, Thai field marshal and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1908) 1966 – Ward Morehouse, American playwright, author, and critic (b. 1899) 1971 – Ernst Krenkel, Russian geographer and explorer (b. 1903) 1971 – Eleni Ourani, Greek poet and critic (b. 1896) 1973 – Carol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania, (b. 1913) 1975 – Gary Thain, New Zealand bass player (Uriah Heep) (b. 1948) 1978 – Golda Meir, Ukrainian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1898) 1980 – John Lennon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Beatles, Plastic Ono Band, The Quarrymen) (b. 1940) 1981 – Big Walter Horton, American harmonica player (b. 1918) 1982 – Bram Behr, Surinamese journalist and politician (b. 1951) 1982 – André Kamperveen, Surinamese footballer and manager (b. 1924) 1982 – Marty Robbins, American singer-songwriter and race car driver (b. 1925) 1983 – Keith Holyoake, New Zealand farmer and politician, 26th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1904) 1983 – Slim Pickens, American actor and singer (b. 1919) 1984 – Luther Adler, American actor (b. 1903) 1984 – Robert Jay Mathews, American militant leader, founded The Order (b. 1953) 1984 – Semih Sancar, Turkish general (b. 1911) 1991 – Buck Clayton, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1911) 1992 – William Shawn, American journalist (b. 1917) 1993 – Yevgeny Minayev, Russian weightlifter (b. 1933) 1994 – Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927) 1996 – Howard Rollins, American actor (b. 1950) 1996 – Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 47th Yokozuna (b. 1938) 1997 – Bob Bell, American clown and actor (b. 1922) 1999 – Péter Kuczka, Hungarian poet and author (b. 1923) 2001 – Mirza Delibašić, Bosnian basketball player and coach (b. 1954) 2001 – Betty Holberton, American computer scientist and programmer (b. 1917) 2003 – Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club and Estrellas de Areito) (b. 1919) 2004 – Dimebag Darrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Pantera, Damageplan, and Gasoline) (b. 1966) 2005 – Georgiy Zhzhonov, Russian actor and author (b. 1915) 2006 – Martha Tilton, American singer and actress (b. 1915) 2006 – José Uribe, Dominican baseball player (b. 1959) 2007 – Gerardo García Pimentel, Mexican journalist (b. 1983) 2008 – Kerryn McCann, Australian runner (b. 1967) 2008 – Oliver Postgate, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925) 2008 – Robert Prosky, American actor (b. 1930) 2009 – Kenneth Biros, American murderer (b. 1958) 2009 – Luis Días, Dominican singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952) 2012 – Jerry Brown, American football player (b. 1987) 2012 – John Gowans, Scottish-English 16th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1934) 2012 – Johnny Lira, American boxer (b. 1951) 2012 – Khan Sarwar Murshid, Bangladeshi academic and diplomat (b. 1924) 2013 – John Cornforth, Australian-English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917) 2013 – Sándor Szokolay, Hungarian composer and academic (b. 1931) 2013 – Richard S. Williamson, American lawyer and diplomat (b. 1949) 2014 – Tom Gosnell, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1951) 2014 – Russ Kemmerer, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930) 2014 – Knut Nystedt, Norwegian organist and composer (b. 1915) 2015 – Mattiwilda Dobbs, American soprano and actress (b. 1925) 2015 – Alan Hodgkinson, English footballer and coach (b. 1936) 2015 – Bonnie Lou, American singer-songwriter (b. 1924) 2015 – Douglas Tompkins, American businessman, co-founded The North Face and Esprit Holdings (b. 1943) 2015 – John Trudell, American author, poet, and actor (b. 1946) 2015 – Elsie Tu, English-Hong Kong educator and politician (b. 1913) Holidays and observances Bodhi Day (Japan) CARICOM–Cuba Day (Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba) Christian feast day: Clement of Ohrid (Julian Calendar), and its related observances: Saint Clement of Ohrid Day (Macedonia) Eucharius Feast of the Immaculate Conception (public holiday in several countries, a holy day of obligation in others), and its related observances: Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican Communion), lesser commemoration Christmas on Campus (University of Dayton) Mother's Day (Panama) Festa da Conceição da Praia, celebrating Yemanjá, Queen of the Ocean (Salvador, Bahia) Festival of Lights (Lyon) Richard Baxter (US Episcopal Church) Romaric December 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Constitution Day (Romania) Constitution Day (Uzbekistan) Day of Finnish Music (Finland) Earliest day on which National Tree Planting Day (Malawi) can fall, while December 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in December National Youth Day (Albania) External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to December 8. BBC: On This Day The New York Times: On This Day Today in Canadian History Category:Days of the year Category:December Category:Discordian holidays